5 "Must Have" Attributes for Salespeople, and Sales Managers

90% of the performance issues in sales organizations are people related. Are the right people in the right positions on the team? Are the best producers happy and motivated to stay? Why do some struggle more than others? How do you find great salepeople? These questions are common and people focused.

The Sales Producer's Blog advocates understanding natural skills and attributes of the sales producers in your organization.The mission of this sales coaching practice states: "to identify and develop coachable sales professionals." There are consistent attributes in the most successful sales people and sales managers. They may not be visible to the eye, or picked up in a conversation or interview. But, they can be measured.

5 Must Have Attributes for Salespeople:

Personal Accountability. High scores reflect their interest in identifying the cause of a bad decision. No excuses.

Attitude Toward Honesty. This measures their attitude toward honesty, structure, and order in society.

Handling Rejection. The ability to see themselves as valuable, separate and apart from their role in life.

Persistence. The capacity to stay on course in difficult times.

Realistic Personal Goal Setting. The self awareness to understand strengths and weaknesses in relation to the task at hand.

The people leading the sales organization need a different set of skills and attributes.

5 Must Have Attributes for Sales Managers:

Accountability For Others. The acceptance of consequences for the actions taken by those under their management.

Developing Others. The ability to evaluate others while focusing on strengths and minimizing weaknesses.

Leading Others. To organize and motivate people to get things done where everyone feels a sense of order and direction.

Long Range Planning. Create long range goals while designing a realistic plan to attain them.

There is a consistent pattern of under performance in sales organizations where the key people do not possess the right attributes for their position. Under performance can lead to a decline in culture. Here's a definition of culture that relates:

“Culture is a lot like the personality of your team. It influences everything from who you hire to how you treat your customers. Within your company culture, teams often have their own culture. The culture of your sales team has a big impact on the success of your revenue generating operations.” –

- James Meincke, Marketing Manager at CloserIQ

Let's work together to impact the culture and productivity of your sales organization. Contact me to begin reviewing the attributes of your team while building a profile of the people you want to attract.

About the author

Two things in my DNA lead to a career in sales. My curiosity and my love of building relationships with quality people.

I believe the best sales organizations invest in the development of their people. You improve the sales process when you improve the people involved. I have seen firsthand sales organizations that did not believe in the professional and personal growth of their people. The result? Friction, confusion and underperformance.

Consistent sales growth is one of many challenges a business faces. In my role as a consultant I have the opportunity to dig deeper to uncover issues related to strategy, communication, and professional development.

To quote Daniel Pink; "we are all in sales now." My promise to you is to develop the people in your organization who serve your customers. It's no longer just the Sales Department. Your sales strategy must be crystal clear, and communicated respectfully throughout your entire organization.